FMC Talks Cotton at Mid-South Farm & Gin Show

John Davis March 4, 2015

Farmers in the cotton belt are ready as the new season’s field prep work is underway in some areas. During the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show in Memphis, Tennessee, Chuck caught up with Rusty Mitchell with FMC, who talked about some new products his company has for cotton and other row crop farmers.

“The big interest in cotton as with any of the row crops in the Mid-South is Palmer Amaranthus control,” Rusty said. “We are introducing a new product this year in our Anthem Flex, applied in cotton post-direct, giving farmers another option to apply a residual type of product that will provide them season-long or continued long control of grasses and Palmer Amaranthus, as well.”

Another new product from FMC this year includes the 3RIVE 3D (which Rusty is standing next to in the picture). It’s a platform that integrates formulation technology, application technology and active ingredients to increase net planting speed, in-furrow protection and early season success.

“For those individual farmers that may not necessarily be interested in putting out a starter, pop-up type fertilizer, but yet still want the technology of an insecticide in-furrow, you can use this equipment and cover 500 acres in one filling, making it very, very efficient,” Rusty said.

You can also see video of 3RIVE 3D in action here.

Listen to more of Chuck’s conversation with Rusty here: Interview with Rusty Mitchell with FMC

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Coverage of the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is sponsored by

Agribusiness, Audio, Cotton, Equipment, FMC

BASF Excited About 150th Year

Cindy Zimmerman March 4, 2015

BASF Crop Protection‘s 9th Science Behind media event last week focused on 150 years of the company’s existence and how they are excited for the future.

“The fun part of working for BASF is there’s always a full pipeline,” said Technical marketing specialist AJ Woodyard, who hosted the annual event this year focused on The Science Behind the Right Chemistry, appropriate for “The Chemical Company.”

AJ says they always appreciate the participation of the media at the Science Behind events to help get the message of what they are doing out to the farmers.

Listen to my interview with AJ here: Interview with AJ Woodyard, BASF

2015 Commodity Classic Photo Album

2015 BASF Science Behind Photos

Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by

Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by Propane Education and Research Council

Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic

BIVI Launches Site for PED Management

Jamie Johansen March 3, 2015

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc is proud to announce their launch of SOURCE, a management protocol for vets and producers that will serve as an information resource in their fight against and prevention of the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus. The site is live and can be found at www.PEDreSOURCE.com.

According to Greg Cline, DVM, technical manager for enteric disease products at BIVI, SOURCE is a six-step systematic approach to PED prevention and control featuring one of the industry’s most complete information resources on PED. It was developed based on the company’s decades of experience and extensive research with other highly infectious swine diseases.

“SOURCE is a logical, science-based approach to PED control and management. This approach and its principles have proven highly effective in helping the industry manage other costly swine diseases,” Cline says.

“We’ve taken proven concepts and the benefits of a holistic approach to analyzing disease goals, risk and management, and added much of what we’ve recently learned about PED, to develop sound, practical management protocols that producers can implement into their specific operations.”

SOURCE is an acronym, with each letter representing one of six steps in the protocol: State desired goals; Obtain current status; Understand current risk factors; Reduce risk factors; Construct solutions; and Execute and monitor solutions.

SOURCE also is a consolidated information resource that utilizes BIVI’s extensive swine technical and diagnostic expertise. The site includes links to additional university and industry sites and an interactive risk analysis and herd management plan. Because the site is an always-evolving information platform, any new PED data and information will be shared as it becomes available. The company has plans to expand SOURCE later this year to include expanded risk analysis and links to additional resources.

I caught up with Dr. Cline over the weekend at BIVI’s Swine Health Seminar. Not only did I learn a great deal about SOURCE, I also learned we are both Southwest Missouri kindred spirits. Listen to my complete interview here: Interview with Dr. Greg Cline, Boehringer Ingelheim

Find all the photos from the event here: 2015 BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album

Agribusiness, Animal Health, Audio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swine

How BASF Innovation Specialists Help Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman March 3, 2015

Nebraska farmer Scott Eaton and his BASF Innovation Specialist Jennifer Wood talked about some of the advantages to their partnership during the BASF Science Behind the Right Chemistry event last week in Phoenix.

“We’re a pretty good team,” said Eaton. “We work to develop a plan and try to stick the best that we can to that plan.”

What Eaton especially likes about working with Jennifer as his innovation specialist is that she’s not just there to sell him a product. “That means a lot because we get to coordinate on a less stressful level,” he said, adding that he expects 2015 to be a good year where he plans to plant “heavy beans.” Interview with Nebraska farmer Scott Eaton

For her part, Jennifer sees about 130-140 growers throughout the year and she enjoys helping them. “Our role as an innovation specialist is to be a trusted adviser to help them put a plan in place to help them maximize yields on their farms,” she said. “It goes beyond BASF’s portfolio so with a lot of growers I work with we talk about fertility, or hybrids, or insect issues.”

Listen to my interview with Jennifer here: Interview with Jennifer Wood, BASF

2015 Commodity Classic Photo Album

2015 BASF Science Behind Photos

Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by

Audio, BASF, Commodity Classic, Corn, Farming

Enter New Holland’s Voice of the Next Gen Contest

Jamie Johansen March 3, 2015

Country music fans are invited to fire up their creativity and submit a 30-second video of a portion of FGL’s #1, PLATINUM smash “Dirt” for one of five chances to win an all-expense-paid trip for two to the award-winning duo’s concert at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. on May 2, 2015. The contest winners and their guests will also take part in an exclusive meet and greet with FGL’s Tyler Hubbard at New Holland’s Pennsylvania headquarters.

The Voice of the Next Gen contest is part of New Holland’s year-long 120th Anniversary bash, celebrating not just the accomplishments of the past, but looking forward with excitement to the next generation of New Holland SMART products, customers and dealers.

“The song ‘Dirt’ was selected for the contest because its lyrics reflect New Holland’s roots in agriculture and our strong ties to those who work the land,” says Mark Hooper, New Holland’s Director of Marketing in North America.

The Voice of the Next Gen contest is open to adults age 18 and older in the United States and Canada. Contestants are asked to submit a 30-second video of themselves performing a portion of FGL’s hit song “Dirt,” either a cappella or with the accompaniment of their own music.

The contest begins March 1, 2015 and all eligible entries must be submitted by midnight Eastern Time, March 22, 2015. The five Grand Prize winners will be selected from among the top 20 videos, as determined by the public through likes from March 23-30, 2015. Criteria for selecting the five winners will be based on originality, creativity, entertainment value and interpretation of New Holland’s Voice of the Next Gen theme. One winner from among the five Grand Prize winners will be awarded the “New Holland Voice of the Next Gen” title.

Agribusiness, New Holland

The AgWatch Network

Chuck Zimmerman March 3, 2015

Let’s learn together what the AgWatch Network is all about in this week’s ZimmCast. During the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show I met Network General Manager Terry Simmons seen here talking with show attendees from their booth.

The AgWatch Network is about seven years old and was founded by now U.S. Congressman Rick Crawford from Arkansas. That puts them right into the heart of the delta region and the Mid-South show is where their listeners come together.

Terry says the company not only has a farm radio network but has also invested a lot into their online services and also offers a text based market prices service.

Located in the heart of Delta agriculture, AgWatch is uniquely positioned to provide agriculture producers and related businesses with up to the minute farm news, commodity market data, weather, and river stage information.

AgWatch Network is made up of over 52 radio station affiliates in five states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee).

Learn more about the Agwatch Network in this week’s program: Agwatch Network

Mid-South Farm & Gin Show Photo Album

Our coverage of this year’s Mid-South Farm & Gin Show is being sponsored once again by FMC.

Subscribe to the ZimmCast podcast here.

The ZimmCast

sponsored by

Locally owned, globally strong.

Audio, Cotton, Media, ZimmCast

TekWear Takes 3rd in Ag Tech Accelerator Program

Cindy Zimmerman March 3, 2015

Innovative wearable technology company TekWear, LLC, finished third among 10 finalists at VilCap USA: Agriculture 2014, an entrepreneurial funding program. TekWear was chosen from more than 60 other start-up companies to take part in the three-month program devoted to finding, developing or marketing innovative products and services that provide solutions to agricultural and food production challenges.

“We were thrilled to participate in the VilCap program where we received top-level business consulting and mentorship,” says Bruce Rasa, CEO and founder of TekWear. “We’re very pleased with the entire program and the long-term benefits it will provide our business.”

TekWear is a leading developer of apps for wireless wearable devices for use in production agriculture and the food industry, providing tools that allow the capture of insights on-the-go, thereby improving safety and efficiency in the field. The company has a patent-pending wearable dashboard system that allows users to remotely monitor animals, scout for multiple crops in fields, obtain machinery support and complete a range of other essential food production tasks.

Gold star intern Taylor Truckey caught up with Bruce at the Commodity Classic last week where she talked with him about what is new with TekWear. Interview with Bruce Rasa, TekWear

2015 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Coverage of Commodity Classic sponsored by

Audio, Commodity Classic, Technology

Celebrate National Groundwater Awareness Week

Jamie Johansen March 3, 2015

National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 8-14, is a good time to learn how to become a good steward of our very important natural resource.

Ninety-nine percent of all available freshwater in the world is groundwater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That means all the world’s rivers, lakes, and streams make up only one percent.

“Life as we know it would quite simply not be possible without groundwater. It provides drinking water to about 132 million Americans, supplies surface freshwater bodies, waters crops, and supports ecosystems,” said NGWA Public Awareness Director Cliff Treyens.

“The same is true throughout the world. That is why it is so important that every person do something to be a good steward of this vital resource — and there are some very practical things every person can do,” Treyens said.

Consider the following:
– 87 million Americans are on community water systems that use groundwater
– 44.5 million Americans supply their own water through water wells
– As much as 90 percent of the rural population would have no reliable water source if it weren’t for private household water wells
– Irrigation uses an estimated 53.5 billion gallons of groundwater a day — supplying water to some of the most productive agricultural lands in the world
– Livestock and aquaculture use an additional 3.5 billion gallons of groundwater a day.

NGWA encourages every person to protect and conserve groundwater in the following ways:
– Dispose of hazardous substances at appropriate disposal facilities
– Don’t pour hazardous substances down the drain or toilet, or on the ground
– Properly store hazardous substances in secure containers
– Don’t pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it
– Repair dripping faucets and toilets; one drop per second wastes 2,700 gallons or 10,221 liters per year
– Use water-efficient appliances
– Use native or drought-resistant plants outdoors.

Ag Groups, Water

MOSES Organic Farming Conference

Jamie Johansen March 3, 2015

Greg and Mary Reynolds, 2015 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year

The MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wis. this weekend had record attendance, illustrating the dramatic growth of organic agriculture. More than 3,500 people participated in the 26th annual conference, organized by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES).

The MOSES Conference included 67 workshops, 10 pre-conference all-day courses, an exhibit hall with 177 vendors, and organic meals. Participants came from all over the U.S. and several other countries, including Nigeria.

Keynote speaker John Jeavons, executive director of the nonprofit Ecology Action, shared how his “biointensive” methods are helping small-scale farmers in 151 countries yield more using less water and resources, making organic farming truly sustainable. He told the packed auditorium, “Organic agriculture is a major step in the right direction, but we need to keep walking.”

Long-time organic farmers Greg and Mary Reynolds of Riverbend Farm in Delano, Minn., received the 2015 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year award at the conference. The Reynolds grow vegetables and small grains on their certified organic farm, selling to restaurants, co-ops, nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. They are building resilience in their systems by selecting seeds from crops that fare best in the changing Minnesota climate.

Every year, the MOSES Conference educates and inspires members of the organic community, bringing together farmers, researchers, and educators to discuss and share new ideas, products, and organic farming practices. The conference is just one of the educational services the nonprofit MOSES provides to promote organic and sustainable agriculture.

Ag Groups, Organic

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